“Davie made me the best player I’ve
ever been.” Jasmine shakes her head,
wondering if that should mean anything.
It’s been bothering her that some of what she misses must look so silly,
so superficial. Why then doesn’t she
stop thinking about him?
Mindy silently nods. Go on. Jasmine had put it out there, hoping Mindy
might say something to relieve her unease.
“You energize me to play well, Mindy,” Jasmine continues.
“But you’re really on when you’re
playing with Davie,” Mindy adds.
Maybe Mindy can help her work out
this puzzle. Is she overly preoccupied
with her former mixed doubles partner? “Yeah. Everything about me was ‘on’ too. Playing with him gave me a thrill. Not just any thrill. A really big thrill. How do I say this?” Jasmine pauses. “I’ll just be blunt. Playing tennis with Davie was better than
sex.”
Mindy looks at her stunned. Really?
Jasmine
pretends not to notice. “I miss that. Is it okay to want just our tennis
partnership back? Nothing else? Just that chance to play again with the
partner who makes me the best player I can be?”
“I don’t think anything’s wrong with
that. If it really is ‘nothing else’?
Do you think you could do that?”
Even Mindy questions it. If Mindy questions it, everyone will. The truth is, Jasmine doesn’t know. She feels that she could, but isn’t
sure. “Maybe?” If she’s honest with herself, it’s not just the
tennis she wants to keep. She also wants
their conversations at The Alley afterward. Those were like the nightcap to a great
game. What’s funny is they were the only
two not drinking alcohol. But they sure
laughed like they were! All they needed
was pop, sitting together, and conversation between just the two of them, while
everyone else could carry on about something else. They especially loved to talk about those two
topics you’re not supposed to: politics and religion. Just like on the court, when they were like two
players in one, at The Alley, they were also like two people in one, finishing
off one another’s comments, sometimes speaking the same words at once. It was wild.
And thrilling. And also better
than sex.
Mindy gives Jasmine the benefit of
the doubt, “If you can keep your relationship to just being doubles partners,
then why don’t you?”
“Because the church is freaking out.
They won’t allow it.”
Mindy giggles. “So if you want to knock some sense into the
church, don’t tell them playing tennis with him is better than sex!”
Trying to muffle her laughter, Jasmine
holds up her right palm with her left palm down on an imaginary Bible. Then she picks up her drink and the two
friends toast, bursting into laughter.
Already, Jasmine feels better.
She’s with a great friend, laughing hard, and reminded of something most
people think is not so superficial: sex!
If playing tennis with Davie is, for Jasmine, “better than sex,” then who
wouldn’t get her pre-occupation? They
just couldn’t understand how tennis could actually be better than sex. Even tennis players don’t believe that. What kind of a weirdo does that make
her? But, Jasmine smiles, that’s the
kind of weirdo she’s okay with. If she’s
odd for thinking tennis with a great partner is better than sex, she’ll take
that oddity. It’s the oddity of someone
who gets preoccupied with the superficial that she doesn’t want. Jasmine smiles. Mindy never said, “Don’t worry, Jazzie, you’re
good,” but she really has helped.
“So I gotta know,” says Mindy, pulling
into Jasmine’s weirdo nature, “Come on, better than sex? Really? It’s fun, yeah, and exciting for winning shots,
but orgasmic?”
“I never said it was ‘orgasmic’!’”
Jasmine exclaims, too loud. The
restaurant instantly turns silent and it seems everyone’s eyes turn to table
six, right on her. Jasmine blushes. More laughter at table six.
Jasmine leans over and whispers the
word again, barely audible, “’Orgasmic’ isn’t the word I would use to describe
it. Maybe ‘thrilling’ and ‘exhilarating’
all at once.”
“OK, but, still. Better than sex?”
Jasmine shakes her head, wondering
again. “I don’t know. Maybe you can’t compare them. I can’t explain it.”
“Try.” Mindy looks straight into
Jasmine’s eyes, teasing her challenge.
“I read his mind of what to do,
where to be, how to hit, where to hit, how hard or soft to send the ball, how
to strategize together, and I actually execute it. I read his mind, my mind tell my body to do,
and my body actually obeys! I do
it! And, as you know, he’s already a
great player without me, but even he says I
make him a better player! Even he
plays better with me!”
“You complete each other.”
“Yeah. We 'complete' each other.” There's that phrase again, suggesting that mysterious second curse given to Eve that her "desire" would be for her man[1]. Are "desire" and longing to be "completed" the same? Jasmine ponders her question again. Is part of Eve's curse that she longs to be 'completed' by the human man given to her? Could this longing for completion carry over to boyfriends, romantic attractions, and Jasmine muses, smiling to herself, to be 'completed' even on a tennis court?
Teasing herself for thinking superficial and silly again, Jasmine continues, “I feel his energy and cheers rooting me on. His vibe takes over the whole court and I feed right into it. It is totally exhilarating.”
“Better than sex,” Mindy smiles.
Jasmine gives a definitive nod. “Better than sex.”
[1]
Although most translations use the word “husband” (your desire will be for your
husband), the Hebrew word, AYSh, associated with Strong’s H376, is the same word
often translated as “man.” AYsh/H376 is also
used in Gen 2:23 (taken out of the man), Gen 2:24 (a man shall leave his father
and mother), and in Gen 4:1 after the birth of Cain (I have gotten a man). For more, see The Blue Letter Bible’s
explanation: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=h376
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Continue to Space. Get it?
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Continue to Space. Get it?
Return to Ex-communicated from a Protestant Church?
To start off, the title "Better than sex? Really?" already had me interested in reading. As I was reading, I did not want to stop. I wanted to know more about what made Jasmine so into Davie, but not in the sexual way like many people tend to fantasize about. It was entertaining to read and brought on feelings while I was reading especially the "awe" type of reaction:).
ReplyDeleteThanks, Victoria. I'm glad the post and the title caught your attention. :) Jasmine's learning a lot about herself through Davie, losing Davie, wanting him back, trying to come to terms with why, and not quite to clarity at this moment, but she hasn't figured that out yet . . .
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